It Happened One Night
by Darknight Squire
Summary: Quicksilver wakes up one morning, and finds himself in bed next to...
1. Chapter 1

I do not own these characters; they are the property of Marvel Comics. To those who do own them, I'm not making any money so please don't sue me-sue someone who's got loads of it instead.

Chapter one

The pain of a massive hangover as well as the light of the morning sun pouring through the window woke up Pietro Maximoff. He blinked, and felt the warm, slender shape next to him with an arm wrapped around him. He turned to give Crystal a morning kiss.

Only this wasn't Crystal.

The woman asleep next to him was about the same height and weight as his wife-no, ex-wife, Black Bolt had annulled their marriage. Her hair was black, wight silver streaks running through it. He looked closer and recognized her. Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, AKA Aurora, formerly of Alpha Flight, now with the X-Men.

What was she doing here in bed next to him?

He looked around the bed. This wasn't the Avenger's, nor his small apartment in New York's Mutanttown. By the look of things, it was cheap hotel, one of many countless in New York City.

Suddenly Pietro felt another effect of a hangover coming on. Rushing off to the bathroom, he immediately voided the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

Going back to the bed, he found Jeanne-Marie awake and smiling-and looking so beautiful in that lacy black teddy. What were they doing here? Pietro barely knew the woman.

"Well," she said, a playful tone in her French-Canadian accented voice, "not even my brozer Jean-Paul uzes hiz zuper zpeed zo casually like that."

"I can't turn it off," Pietro mumbled. "To me it seems like everyone and everything is moving in slow motion-although alcohol does turn it down some."

"_Oui,_ I have heard zat about you," she giggled. "Last night was certainly an interesting experience, _non?_ For ze first time I remember, I did not have to zlow down for a man!"

That's right, Pietro recalled, she and her brother were mutant speedsters too-although their powers worked differently than his. "About last night-I'm afraid I don't recall much."

_"Oui,_ you were getting yourself quite smashed in that bar, I remember." Jeanne-Marie giggled again. Pietro snorted. From what he recalled, he'd gone to a bar in Mutanttown to drown his sorrows; a student at the Avengers Academy had discovered his secret: it wasn't a Skrull disguised as him who caused M-Day, then kidnapped his daughter Luna and exposed her and several other de-powered mutants to the Terrigen mists he'd stolen-it had been him all along-and was using it to blackmail him. And there was the matter of Crystal now being married to the Kree Ronin the Accuser. "It waz wonderful-ze lady Crystal, she waz a fool for letting you zlip through her fingerz!"

"It's-" now Pietro felt the pain in his head as if Thor, Hercules, and the Hulk were inside pounding on his skull- "more complicated than that." Truth was, even before what had happened with the Terrigen mists, Pietro realized that his constant jealousy and temper were as much to blame as Crystal's infidelity for their marriage deteriorating. And his daughter had lost all respect for him. Not for the kidnapping and exposing her to the Mists but for the lying about it afterwards. And her exposure to the Mists were what caused her to know the truth.

Pietro could live with that. The alternative would be never seeing Luna again. Pietro knew he wasn't the greatest father in the world, but he would rather have his daughter despise him than never see her again ever.

He looked at Jeanne-Marie. He barely knew the woman; from what he'd heard she suffered from a split personality. And apparently it was a rather playful and coquettish one was dominatting her now. "You really don't recall what we did lazt night?"

"No," Pietro shook his head. He did remember Jeanne-Marie coming to the bar, and sitting down at the stool next to his. Somehow they got to talking-he had already put down quite a few and was feeling buzzed-and everything was fuzzy after that.

Jeanne-Marie lay back in the bed, revealing her full, sensuous body. "Zen how about I give you zomezing to remember, _non?"_

Pietro felt his hangover fading; while the alcohol hit him hard it passed through his system far more quickly than for most people. He let out a deep breath and thought. He was a free man now; Crystal was married again and living on the far side of the galaxy on the Kree homeworld. What did he have to feel guilty about? He'd never strayed from Crystal during those times they were separated and even that time he thought she was dead-although his primary concern then had been taking care of Luna then. Jeanne-Marie was beautiful and inviting. So much of his life was in a shambles, why deny himself some moments of pleasure? What was the worst that could happen? "Oh yes, gorgeous," he said, and zipped onto the bed with her.

"My, you ARE fast!"

* * *

**Avengers Headquarters, a few days later...**

Jarvis answered the door. "Yes my lady?" he replied.

"I need to speak to Pietro Maximoff, if he's here, " Jeanne Marie Beabuier said angrily.

Afew few seconds later Pietro appeared. "Jeanne-Marie-why are you here?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you-in private."

"Very well." They walked over to an empty room nearby.

"What is this about Jeanne-" Pietro suddenly caught Jeanne-Marie's left arm as she was about to slap him.

"You pig!" she screamed, and he barely managed to move his foot in time to keep from getting stomped. "You animal! How dare you use me like that!"

"Jeanne-Marie, please," said Pietro, "I thought we agreed that night was going to be a one-time thing."

"Yes, how convenient for you!" Oh great, Pietro thought. Her other personality must be dominating her. "My personalities keep a diary so I always know what the other did-and I read of what you and that-slut!"

"Jeanne-Marie, why are you so angry?"

"This!" Jeanne-Marie reached into her purse, and shoved a small bottle into Pietro's face.

It was a home pregnancy test. And it read positive.

End of Chapter One

Okay, what do you readers think of that? What will Northstar think when he learns that Quicksilver knocked up his sister? What do you suppose Crystal will think? And how would Luna react to having a new half-brother-or sister?

And BTW, a pet peeve of mine is readers who give story updates or list the story as favorite-but don't leave reviews! If I get ONE of those, I'm not updating!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own these characters, I'm just borrowing them for this piece of fanfiction. Please, whoever owns them please don't sue-I've got no money.

Chapter Two:

Pietro let go of Jeanne-Marie's wrist. "You're pregnant?"

"_Le bon Diue,_ aren't you ze rocket zientist?" said Jeanne-Marie snidely. "_Oui_; yesterday my period was due and I mizzed it, Zo I baught ze home prenanzy test and took it. I even ztopped by ze clinic thiz morning, juzt to make zure! Zen, I contacted Wolverine, who haz accezz to zis interdimenzional mansion!"

"And you think I'm the father."

"You're ze only one that tramp has zlept with in the past two monthz. Hard to believe, but ze whore zimply hazn't been out much lately."

Pietro sighed; this was so different then when Crystal told him she was pregnant with Luna. They had been newlyweds and so madly in love. And Crystal had been overjoyed. Jeanne-Marie looked-angry. "Look, I didn't think-!"

"No you didn't!" the French Canadian woman screamed. "Men never do! _Tabernac_, zometimes I wish I waz like Jean-Paul. Sure, zome women can be thoughtless and insensitive too, but at leazt I wouldn't have to put up with ziz!"

"Listen, you invited me to-"

"It waz zat zlut, not _moi_!" Jeanne-Marie yelled; as she got angrier her Quebecois French accent became thicker. "Zhe zaw you all pickled on tequila and felt zorry for you, zo zhe took you to her hotel room for ze night of zome pity zex." She snorted. "It'z a wonder you're not like Jean-Paul! Wiz zat hair and your name 'Pietro,' and ze way you use zoze hand and facial exprezzions, you fit 'ze sterotype more zan him!"

"Will you just listen?" Pietro was trying to be patient, and as anyone who knew him would say patience did not come easy.

"_Non !" _Jean-Marie hit Pietro at super-speed, and followed up with several more hits at a rate even he was hard pressed to match, but he finally managed to grab her by the wrists and pin her arms to her side. She blinked in surprise. "No one but Jean-Paul has ever been able to-,"

"Yeah, I'm just full of surprises." He face was several inches away from hers. "Now please-"

"What are you doing to my zizter?" Pietro looked and saw a man he recognized as Jean-Paul Beabuir, Jeanne-Marie's twin brother.

A malicious smile came over Jeanne-Marie's face. "Well hello bro. What bringz you here?"

"I walked into your room, and found ze packaging for ze pregancy tezt. I couldn't find you so ask until I zee Wolverine. He tell me you gone to the Avenger's Mansion, and give me accezz through ze portal."

"Oh yes," snickered Jeanne-Marie. "Congratulations, bro. You're going to be an uncle." She turned her face back to Pietro and chuckled-again unpleasantly. "And you've got ziz man to thank. I come here to tell him, and zee how he reactz!"

"You-you got my zizter pregnant?" Jean Paul asked Pietro, the anger in his voice unmistakable.

Pietro let go of Jeanne-Marie and faced her brother. "Look, I know what it looks like. But if you would just please-,"

"What ze the matter bro? Jealous?" Jeanne-Marie said. "He ze cutie, I admit, but I've had my fun with him. He does no zeem like your type, but if you want him he'z yourz."

Jean-Paul stepped towards Pietro, his face behind his sunglasses getting red. "You are zo going to regret ziz, monsieur._"_

"If the two of you will just-" Pietro began, then felt himself be grabbed by the collar of his shirt and go through the mansion in a blur and out through a door-portal-and found himself with Jean-Paul still holding him, flying several miles above ground.

At the speed they were going, an ordinary man's body would have been crushed. Even Pietro, who was made to withstand the pressure of high speed winds, was feeling the strain on him.

Jean-Paul only snickered. "I knew your father waz exagerrating when he zaid I wazzna az fazt az you! Zo you can withztand ziz, but letz zee how well you do at Mach-aaaaacccchhhhh!" Pietro had both of his hands around the French-Canadian mutant's throat and was squeezing. Hard.

As Jean-Paul gasped for breath, he slowed down, and went lower. Seeing his chance, Pietro let go with his left hand and punched Jean-Paul square in the solar plexus just as he released his right grip. Waisting no time, Pietro spun himself around, making himself a human tornado.

As he hit the ground, Pietro saw there was a thick forest up ahead. _Good, _he thought, _it'll give me some cover, _and ran off at the trees.

Jean-Paul spun backwards through the air for several minutes, then stopped. He massaged his throat as he gasped for air. Boy did that guy have a strong grip!

He looked down, and saw a blur disappear into the trees below. "Zo you do _run _fazt," he said to himself. "Zo did ze moaz, but zey couldna outrun ze Haast's-eagle!" he chuckled and zipped down to the forest.

The French Canadian landed on the forest floor and began running through it, so fast he would appear invisible to most people. But not to a fellow speedster who was hiding up in the lower branches of a tree.

_He is fast, _Pietro thought to himself, although to him Jean-Paul didn't seem to be moving any faster than a marathon-runner would to a normal person, _even by my standards. I'm going to have to time this just right_-Jean-Paul appeared below the tree Pietro was hiding in-_now!_

Pietro zipped down, right behind his pursuer. Quickly he grabbed both of Jean-Paul's arms and looped his left arm behind them, gripping Jean-Paul's right, then putting his right hand behind Beabuir's head. Moving his fastest he slammed Jean-Paul's head against the tree, than ran and slammed it against another, then another. He pulled with his left and a loud POP! came from both of Jean-Paul's shoulders. From what he knew about this guy, Jean Paul could fly and do a lot of things Pietro Maximoff couldn't. But apparently of the two mutant speedsters, Pietro was a lot stronger.

Rushing out to the edge of the forest, Pietro stopped and leaned his head at Jean-Paul's left ear. "All right, now listen, you miserable $$#*/^^%^ fairy! Yes I did sleep with your sister, and yes, I very likely did make her pregnant. But I didn't force myself on her, and I don't even remember the first time we did it. And the second time she invited me!"

"Jean-Paul!" Pietro looked up and saw Jeanne-Marie lowering herself to the ground. "Jean-Paul!" She landed a few feet a away and ran over to them. Pietro loosened his grip, and Jeanne Marie took her brother in her arms.

Jeanne-Marie rapidly spoke to her brother in French, which Pietro didn't understand. Jean-Paul seemed to be trying to reply, but words barely came out. Pietro looked closer, and he could see that Jeanne-Marie was again the woman he woke upe next to in that hotel room.

Jean Marie looked worriedly at Pietro. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt him that badly. It's just"

"No no, he did attack you," Jeanne-Marie replied. "But we have to get him attention, right away!"

"Right." Pietro took out his extra dimensional portal opened, and clicked the portal to the Avengers Mansion open.

* * *

At the Mansion infirmary, Pietro was trying hard not to fidget. Jeanne-Marie was sitting down hooked up to a cat scanner, while several beds away her brother was lying down, with Henry Pym examining him. Waiting with Pietro and Jean-Marie were his fellow Avengers Tigra, She-Hulk, Hawkeye, his wife Mockingbird, Speedball, and Justice. Also present was Jeanne Foccult, AKA Finesse

Pietro glanced over at Finesse, who was grinning very slyly. _Whatever happens, you won't black mail me over _this._ It becomes public, I'll fully admit to it._

Hawkeye grinned at Quicksilver. "So, I guess you're really over Crystal now, huh?" Pietro just shot a dirty look that said if he said anything else, he'd envy what Pietro had given Jean-Paul.

Dr. Pym walked over to where they were waiting, and put his hand on Jeanne-Marie's shoulder. "You're brother's going to be all right. He's got a mild concussion, both his shoulders are dislocated, and he's going to have a sore throat for a while, but he'll be fine in a couple of days."

Pietro glanced at Jeanne-Marie. "Listen, I didn't really mean to-"

"No-no, don't worry. He's had worse." Jeanne-Marie sighed. "He'll understand once I explain everything to him. It's just-Jeanne-Paul can be a little over protective where I am concerned, and I'm afraid it got ze better of him."

"He is a real cutie," She-Hulk said as she looked over where Jeanne-Paul was resting.

"I think he'd prefer your cousin to you," quipped Hawkeye.

"I know. What a pity," She-Hulk moped.

Several beeping sounds came from the cat scanner, and several papers came out of a printer. Dr. Pym picked up the papers and looked through them carefully. "Well, according to this, Jeanne-Marie, you are pregnant. And judging by the DNA readings," he glanced at the silver-haired speedster, "Pietro is the father."

"Well congratulations, teach," said Finesse with a gleam in her eye. Pietro glowered at her, but the teenager with the photographic reflexes looked unperturbed.

Everyone else was silent for several minutes. Jeanne Marie spoke up. "I've always zought about hazing children. I do like kidz, and I babyzit for ze nieghbors, but, well, with my previous relationships-it juzt never happened. And now-well, I'm frightened. But I do want ziz baby."

Pietro felt hiz throat tighten up. "Jeanne-Marie," he said carefully, "I'm not the greatest father in the world,"

_Boy is that an understatement, _said a voice inside his head.

"And I don't have much." He hadn't had to worry about that with Luna; he'd married into royalty then.

"Zat iz all right," said Jeanne Marie. "Jean-Paul and I are well off; and ze family zportz line iz doing very well. We zhouldn't have any trouble providing for a child."

"It's just-if this is my child, then I want to be there for him or her-to really be a father, not some deadbeat dad who rarely comes and visits-if you'll let me."

"Oh but of courze," said Jeanne-Marie. "After all, ziz child deserves to know both of hiz or her parentz, _non?"_

"Quicksilver, showing concern for another person's feelings," whistled Hawkeye. "Somehow, I find that even more frightening than Galactus showing up."

Mockingbird just giggled. "Then I guess that means there's hope for you, Clint." then walked out.

"Hey Bobbi, what's that supposed to mean?" Hawkeye said as he followed his wife.

"Well, teach, I hate to break up this happy moment, but I believe it's time for our 'personal lesson," Finesse spoke up. Quicksilver glared at her, then with is shoulders slumped, followed after her.

Hank Pym watched Pietro leave with the student, who he personally never liked. One of his eyebrows arched upward as he thought.

* * *

**Three days later...**

"You wanted to zpeak with me?" Jean Paul said.

"Yes," answered Pietro. They were sitting at a table in a New York coffeehouse; they had both ordered coffee; Jean Paul regular with cream and no sugar, Pietro decaf. "Are you-all right?"

"My shoulders still ache, and my throat's a little zore, and if I drink any alcohol my head hurts. But ozzer then zat I'm fine." He sighed. "And I did bring zat on myzelf. Jeanne-Marie iz my only family, you underztand, and her mental ztate iz not alwayz ztable. When I zaw you holding her like zat-"

"I understand," Pietro said. "When Wanda and I were with Magneto and the Brotherhood, I once caught Toad and Mastermind having their way with her. I beat the tar out of both of them-a lot worse then I did to you."

"Zey deseved it."

"They certainly did," Pietro agreed. "And I found out that Magneto had known about it too-but against him I could do nothing; he's just too powerful."

"_Oui." _Jean Paul agreed. "I had an encounter wiz him a while back wiz ze X-Men, and he nearly ztrangled me too." Jean Paul rubbed his throat. "He alzo said you were a lot fazter zen me."

"I didn't know the old man had that high an opinion of me."

"Did you know zat, he waz your father zen?"

"No," Pietro said flatley. "We were with him then because we owed him a dept-he saved us from a mob that tried to lynch Wanda after an accident she caused. But after that-I realized we couldn't stay with him for much longer. Only just after Luna was born did Wanda and I find out he was our biological father." Thinking about Luna brought a stab to Pietro's heart. Even now, thanks to his story that he told the media, he'd rarely see her, because she was on the Kree home world. And even if he saw her, she'd never look at him the same way she used to.

_And just whose fault is that?_ the voice inside Pietro's head said.

"Juzt what is this meeting about?" Jean Paul asked.

Pietro let out a sigh. "Because it's my child Jeanne-Marie is carrying. And I'm not looking for a relationship with her-God knows I screwed up my marriage to Crystal."

_Yes, you certainly did._

_Ignoring_ the voice, Pietro went on, "Before I met her, the only kind of relationship with any woman was with our adopted mother or Wanda. Whenever I got the urge, I'd just go to a bar or nightclub, find a woman who was willing, get alone with her, and then, well, you know." Seeing Jean-Paul nod he continued, "And when I got injured, and Crystal nursed me back to health, I fell for her. Hard."

"I can zee why," said Jean-Paul. "Alzough I never met her, I zeen photgraphs of ze Lady Cryztal. Zhe iz a woman of mozt rare beauty, _non?_"

"I thought you were-."

"But I am not blind."

"Sorry. No offense."

"None taken." Now Jean-Paul glanced at Pietro over the rims of his sunglasses. "Although I did not appreciate it when you called me a 'miserable $$#*^/^^%^ fairy.'"

"You had just tried to asphyxiate me. _After_ I had tried to be reasonable and explain everything."

"Touche."

"And when she had that affair-after that, I just couldn't trust her. I'd get angry or jealous whenever she showed so much as friendship with another man. Even though we tried many times to recocile, it just never worked."

"Love like zat can zo easily zour and turn into jealouzy." Jean-Paul remarked.

"Speaking from experience?"

"_Oui."_

"Anyway the reason for this meeting is," Pietro went on, "is that if I'm going to be part of this child's life, Jeanne-Marie is going to be part of my life. And you very likely know her better than just about anyone else. And about her-"

"Perzonalities?" Pietro nodded. "You only zaw two of zem."

"She has more?"

"_Oui," _replied Jean Paul. "For a long time we zought it waz only two, but it seemz zat one haz zplit in two and joined with the ozer an zplit again-, zen again-at leazt, zat iz az cloze az I understand from what her therpiztz tell me-I'm no doctor. Ze two you have zeen, I call ze Zlut and ze Bitch." Pietro thought they were terrible names to for a man to call his sister but couldn't deny they fit. "Now, the one that for the most part has been out lately, is called ze Zaint. Then, my zizter iz the kindest, mozt gentle perzon you can ever hope to meet. Zhe babyzits for many of our neighbors and helpz out at ze local homeless zhelter. Volunteers at ze oldfolkz home, helpz manage ze Northztar Zports brand. Doeznot zwear or drink, and alwayz haz ze kind word to zay to anyone." Pietro thought he liked that one. "In truth, I alwayz zought zat one would make a mozt wonderful mozer."

Then Jean-Paul went on to describe others, ones that didn't come out very ofton-and seemed glad they didn't. The last of them- "Wiz zose games zhe likez to play, you better hope you're not around when zhe comez out-I ztill have zcars from ze last time." Jean-Paul shuddered.

Pietro sighed. "Thank you; I needed to hear about this." Now he looked a bit wistful. "When Luna was born and I first held her in my arms, it was the happiest day of my life. And whenever Crystal and I went through a separation, right afterwards, whenever I saw her, she'd run right into my arms smiling and laughing. It didn't matter how long I had been gone or how badly Crystal and I were fighting. She was just so glad to see me."

_And look how you messed that up._

"I zink I can relate a little," Jean-Paul said.

"You can?"

Jean Paul reached into his wallet and pulled out several photographs showing himself and a small infant. "Zat iz Joanne. I found her abandoned in an alley one night and brought her a hozpital, where zhe was diagnozed with AIDS. I adopted her." Now he looked sad. "Zhe died not long after, but for all the heartache I felt for a long time, I would gladly do it again."

Pietro looked at Jean-Paul. "Again, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I'm afraid I just lost control of myself a little when I tangled you. He sighed. "You now how, when you move at super-speed, everything else seems to be moving really slow?"

"_Oui."_

"For me, it's like that all the time. Even now, while we are sitting here talking, everything around me seems to be going in really slow motion. When my powers first emerged, it would take a lot of effort for me just to move and talk at normal speeds. And I can't turn it off, so sometimes if I get real angry or stressed-I snap."

Jean-Paul whistled. "I zink I would be ze bazket caze, if I were like zat all ze time."

Quicksilver chuckled. It felt good to laugh-and strange, for he hadn't laugh much lately. But he hadn't had much reason to laugh. "Somehow, I think, between me and Jeanne-Marie, you are probably going to be the most stable relative this child has."

"Zat, _mon ami, _iz ze very zcary thought."

Pietro sipped at his coffee. It was strange, it seemed. He caused so much harm, first with causing M-Day, then with stealing the Terrigen Crystals and exposing both himself and Luna to them. He'd suffered for it too-suffered a lot. But fate had given him a second chance after the Avengers rescued him from the grips of the evil god Chiton and allowed him back into their ranks. And now he was being given a second chance at fatherhood.

_And you'll very likely mess it up like you did before. _Pietro mentally told the voice inside his head to shut up, and that it could torment him all it like when he was alone.

_All right, but only because you promised me that,_ and Pietro felt he was going to regret that promise.

Jean-Paul spoke up. "And about zat night-Jeanne-Marie explained everyzing to me. Zhe zaw zat you were lonely and zat you needed zomeone. And what followed-it'z ze ztory az old az time."

"Not something you have to worry about though, is it."

"Lucky me. Alzough, I zertainly can zee what attracted her to in ze firzt place." And Pietro was suddenly aware of the way the French Canadian was looking at him.

"You're not thinking about-?"

"Why?" Jean-Paul asked. "Are you-interested?"

"Do you want me to dislocate your shoulders, bang your head against a tree, and strangle your throat again?"

"I'll take zat for a no."

End of Chapter Two

I have a feeling I'm going to get flamed by Northstar fans crying out "But Northstar moves at the speed of light, while Quicksilver's fastest is only Mach 5." So I think I need to point a few things out.

According to the Marvel Internet Database, while it was state _theortically _that Northstar could reach 99% the speed of light, he has never actually gone anwhere near that fast for it would cause considerable damage to his body and the environment around him. And it was mainly referring to how fast he could fly. While I have no doubt Northstar can fly a lot faster than Quicksilver can run, anything else-such as running speed, reflexes, ect-seems open for interpretation. And Quicksilver lives in superspeed, so I'm sure he could follow Northstar's movements on the ground. Also, most of the time when Quicksilver's bested an opponent, he did so by catching them of guard-which he managed to do in this case.

With two speedster going toe to toe, strength would still matter-and according to every internet site with statistics on Marvel characters, Quicksilver can bench press a thousand pounds. While it puts him on the low end of superhuman strength levels, he's still a lot stronger than Northstar, who has only the upper body strength of an ordinary man in excellent shape.

Henry Pym suspects that Pietro's story about having been abducted by the Skrulls and a Skrull impersonating him as being a lie, but he really feels the speedster is seriously trying to redeem himself. And in the next chapter, he finds out about the nature of Finesse's 'private lessons' with Pietro, and brings her to his office for a little talk.

And yeah, I'm taking liberties with Jean-Marie's multiple personalities, but she's been a pretty low level character. And it sure was fun, writing Pietro as the target of the wrath of an overprotective brother for a change.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own these characters, they belong to Marvel comics. If you'r reading this, please don't sue me-instead sue Marvel for all the $%^$##$ they did with the Decimataion, Civil War, and Secret Invasion!

Chapter 3

**Attilan, the Inhuman City. Currently floating over Hala, the Kree Homeworld**

Pietro's face flaired to life on the video-disc that had been sent from via the doorway between Atilan and Infinite Avenger's Mansion. "Hello Crystal. I had Hank Pym bring this because well, there's something you need to know, and it's easier to tell you this way than in person. A couple of weeks ago, I met a woman in a bar. Jeanne Marie Beaubir; You may have heard of her as the mutant superheroine Aurora. We went back to her hotel room and...well, I don't think need to tell you anymore. A few days later, we found out that she's pregnant-and I'm the father.

"She plans to keep the baby and raise it. While I'm not planning on marrying her or pursuing any sort of relationship, I do want to be a part of this child's life.

"I've done a lot of thinking back lately, about our marriage and what went wrong. If you hadn't strayed, if I hadn't been so jealous-but dwelling on the past isn't going to get me anywhere. You're married again, and that is that.

"What I want to say is that I'm sorry-I doubt there's enough memory on this disc to record everything I have to apologize for. My jealousy drove you away, and even though I never cheated on you I now think the only reason I didn't was because it made me feel superior to you. I wasn't a good husband, and I wasn't a good father to Luna. And I'm sorry for it is all I can say."

The disc shut off. "Well, I suppose if anything, that should convince you that your marriage to him is over for good."

Crystal Amaquin sighed at her sister's words. "I already knew that. It was over long before the Gentics Counsel had it annuled," she replied to Medusa.

"Did you?" Medusa raised her left eyebrow. "Evan after your marriage to the Lord Ronan, you still go by the name Maximoff. And you still keep pictures of him in your quarters."

"Those are pictures of him with Luna, like when she was born or at her birthday parties," Crystal said wearily. "And for better or worse, he was part of my life for those years-"

"Except for when he was absent-which was quite often."

"-and I can't just write them out. And without him, Luna wouldn't have been born."

"The only truly good thing that came out of your marriage."

Crystal didn't want to argue with her sister. Pietro had caused her a lot of pain and grief-and to be honest, she had caused him plenty too. But there had been good memories too, memories she wouldn't have traded now even if she could. "I'll need to talk about this with Luna. You have duties you need to attend to."

Medusa nodded. Ever since the death of her husband Black Bolt she looked as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulder-and in a way she did, not just of Attilan or Hala, but the entire Kree Empire.

Crystal walked out of the conference down the hallway towards Luna's room where Luna was, hopefully, doing her homework. Alone of all the children in Atillan she attended elementary school with the Kree children. She was the only one who could. For all their powers, all Inhumans had extremely weak immune systems that made them vulnerable to pollution and virus's contracted from other races without taking a special serum. Luna didn't need that serum; when she was born she was tested and checked as a normal human. When she was a toddler, further testing showed she did have an X-Gene, but it was dormant and inert-or so Reed Richards and Hank McCoy had thought.

What their test didn't show then was that Luna's X-Gene contained elements of the Inhuman genome that arranged so that exposure to the Terrigen Mists-and only Terrigenisis-could activate it, and gave Luna resistance to the harmful effects that were fatal to humans and caused insanity in mutants. She also had the extremly strong immune system of a mutant which enabled her to withstand all but the most deadly diseases.1

_She truly is half Inhuman, half mutant, _Crystal thought as she opened the door to Luna's room.

"Hello Luna."

"Hello, mommy," Luna looked up from her desk.

"Luna, I have something I need to tell you. Could we sit down on your bed?" Luna nodded, got up from her desk, and walked over to her bed; Crystal sat down next to her.

"Luna, I suppose I should tell you," Crystal began, "in a few months, you'll have a new half-brother or sister."

"But I thought you and the Lord Ronan didn't-"

"It's not me," Crystal said. She thought of her marriage to Ronan the Accuser as a political affair and did not share a bed with him; nor did she profess to have any feelings for him. "Your father met a woman and-." She paused, uncertain of what to say. Luna knew that babies came from adults sleeping together but Crystal wasn't sure how much her daughter truly knew about the matter and in any case it was never easy discussing this sort of thing with a seven year old.

"Oh." Luna's face assumed a blank, emotionless expression.

"Luna what is it?" Crystal asked. "You get like this every time we mention your father."

"That is between me and him," Luna said tonelessly.

"You're angry with him." Crystal thought of the powers that Luna had gained from the Terrigen Mists that enabled her to read peoples emotions-and tell wherever someone was telling the truth or not. "Becuase you know it wasn't a Skrull impersonating him that stole the crystals-that it was him."

"You knew?"

"I-suspected." Crystal said. "The last time I saw him on Earth, when I told him that our marriage was finally over and that he was forbidden to see you, we shared a final kiss. And I knew then that is was your father I was kissing."

"And when he lied to you and Aunt Medusa, you went along with it. Why?" Luna's eyes flashed to gold, meaning she was using her powers. Most people said Luna looked like her mother and they did share the same blonde hair and a similar shaped face. But instead of green like Crystal's Luna's eyes when she wasn't using her powers were bright watery blue. Pietro's eyes.

The stare she was giving Crystal also felt eerily like the ones Pietro gave whenever he felt she was more than friendly with another man. "Luna, while your powers enable you to see wherever someone is telling the truth, they don't tell you everything. When your father stole the Terrigen crystals-and exposed you to the Mists-he was sick. And not in his right mind." Luna said nothing. "I'm not excusing what he did. But with the worldwide decimation of mutants and the loss of his powers, he suffered a severe nervous breakdown. He had just tried to kill himself when I found him and brought him back. When he stole the crystals, it was almost like a man who had been paralyzed and saw a chance to walk again."

At her daughter's continued silence, Crystal went on, "And remember what he's done Devos the Devostater stirred the revolt among the Alpha Primitives, he arrived with the rest of the Avengers to help us even though he was under sentence of death if he did. And he returned the Xerrigen crystals to us, even though he could have simply given or sold them to someone who might use try to turn them into a weapon."

Luna's eyes went back to blue, but her expression didn't change. "It doesn't change what he'd did, or that he lied instead of owning up to it. And while I love him I will never respect or forgive him again for what he's done, or for all those times he's left us."

"Luna," Crystal said, "about that last-I'm afraid I'm as much to blame as he is-maybe even more."

"What?"

"It started when you were only a toddler. When your father and I were first married, many saw him as an outsider and simply my boytoy. He was eager to prove his worth, so he volunteered for our militia and became an officer.

"He was eager to prove himself and threw himself into his new duties. Which ofton required him to take them on manuvers around the moon, for months at a time. I felt like he was neglecting me, and on a visit to oyour Aunt Wanda, I met a man named Norman Webster. He and I-did something we shouldn't have."

Luna's eyes flashed to gold again. "You-you cheated on him?"

Crystal nodded. "When he found out, your father didn't take it well." That was an understatment; Pietro had beaten Norman to a pulp, had nearly dislocated both of Crystal's arms, and embarked on a rampage of violence and criminal activity that they all learned later was caused by Maximus the Mad manipulating Pietro's mind. "And it wasn't the only time either." She told Luna about how she had tried to revive her old relationship with Johnny Storm and break up his marriage; about her affairs with the Black Knight Dane Whitman and Robert Reynolds the Sentry. "But he did keep coming back Luna. Because of you. Because he loves you."

"He's a coward and a liar," said Luna, her eyes fading back to blue, "and YOU'RE a slut. And now I have no respect for either of you."

End of chapter Three

About Luna's particular X-Gene-I figured there needed to be some sort of explanation for how Luna could be exposed to the Mists yet not suffer from the harmful effects that kill humans and arn't too good for mutants either. And if it seems she's acting rather arrogant and judgemental, please remember whose daughter and granddaughter she is.

1According to Marvel, X-Gene mutants, even ones without special healing factors, have extremely strong immune systems that protect them from most infectious diseases and gives them greater resistance to cancer. They still can be harmed by specially engineered viruses like the Lagacy Virus or the techno-organic virus.


	4. Chapter 4

The characters being used in this story are the property of Marvel Comics and no money is being made from their use. There, I said it. You #%^%&^$$#^ who thought of the rule happy?

Chapter Four

**Ontario Canada. **

**Jeanne-Marie Beuabir's home and main office for Team Northstar Exteme Snowsports**

"So, is the February Snowboarding competition going as planned?" Jeanne Marie asked the event manager for Team Northstar Extreme Snowsports as she handed him a mug of hot tea.

Kyle graciously accepted it as he nodded. "All prepped and ready," the Jamacian-Canadian said as he flipped his dreadlocks away line of sight. "Although I still say you should be out in it with you brother. I mean, you're a good snowboarder yourself; it's not fair Jean-Paul gets all the attention."

"That's what he does best," Jeanne Marie replied as she sat down next to Kyle and began to go over figures for next week's business. "I'm content to sit back and let him have the glory. Besides in case you've forgotten, I'm pregnant."

"Yeah. Hard to believe." Kyle looked out the window where Jean-Paul and Pietro were playing a game of one-on-one basketball. "Maybe we could have your boyfriend and some of his collegues in the Avengers show up; it'd give us a real promotional boost."

"Pietro's not my boyfriend," Jeanne-Marie insisted, "he's just the guy who got me pregnant in a one night stand."

"I stand corrected," said Kyle. "Anyway, why don't you ask him about it, and maybe even get your old collegues from Alpha Flight too?"

"Maybe." Jeanne-Marie had an idea. "Pietro's one of the teachers at the Avenger's Academy. Perhaps he could arrange the staff and students to come as sort of a field trip."

"I was thinking more along the lines of having Captain America or Wolverine. Or maybe even the Mighty Thor." Kyle laughed. "Wouldn't that be something! Having the God of Thunder show up to promote a snowboard race!"

"Pietro doesn't know Thor that well; they've seldom been active Avengers at the same time. And he and Wolverine don't get along all that well."

"From what I saw of that guy, hardly _anybody_ gets along with him," laughed Kyle.

"Are you talking about Pietro or Logan?" put in Jeanne-Marie. She looked out at the window again. She didn't live in super-speed like the man who fathered her child, but she and Jean-Paul could both see the world that way if they concentrated. She did so, and followed their game.

Everytime the two of them happened to be here, Pietro and Jean-Paul would get into some kind of competition like this. Pietro was stronger and living in super-speed 24/7 gave him a slightly faster reaction time. But Jean-Paul was a more experienced player, and he'd just scored a basket.

Jeanne-Marie recalled the first time; they'd raced from San Fransico to San Antonio and back. Jean-Paul came in first, and Quicksilver insisted he'd cheated in the last mile by flying a few inches above ground.

"_I did not,"_ _Jean-Paul replied. "You are just a sore loser, that's all."_

"_Ah, Jean-Paul," Jeanne-Marie replied. "Your boots aren't as muddy as his are."_

"_Uh, well-I just ran over some less muddy spots!"_

Despite his protests, Jean-Paul did agree to a re-race-and the second one was a tie-and both had their boots worn away with their feet torn and bloody.

Jeanne-Marie looked away from the window and got back to discussing business with Kyle.

A few seconds later Jean-Paul and Pietro came inside bickering. "You broke our agreement! That last shot was cheating!"

"I did not," Pietro retorted. "We agreed we'd do this on strictly muscle speed, with no energy manipulation. All I did was vibrate my legs at rapid speed-like this." Pietro began wiggling his lower body at high speed and floated several inches off the ground. "That's not energy manipulation like when you or your sister fly-my speed comes from pure muscle power."

He went back down to the floor. "I had no idea you could do anything like that," Kyle said. "From I heard, you were a strictly land-bound speedster."

Pietro shrugged. "I don't do it very ofton; running does come more natural to me."

Jean-Paul snorted. "You're like a road-runner. They run fast, but don't fly well."

"Meep meep!" Pietro went- then a dark look came over his face.

"What's the matter?" Jeanne Marie asked.

"That was Luna's favorite cartoon-we would receive earth television signals on Atillan, and she enjoyed watching them."

Jeanne-Marie got up. "You rarely mention your daughter."

"We-we're not on good speaking terms right now." Pietro went over to were he left his wallet. "Do you want to see pictures of her?"

All three of them gathered around Pietro as he sat down and showed them the picture. "She's beautiful," Jeanne-Marie said.

"This one here," said Kyle. "You're both out on the moon and wearing space suits."

"That was Luna' fourth birthday." Pietro sighed, as if at a memory that was both happy and sad. "We went out onto the moon surface, and I ran as fast as I could carrying her on my shoulders-Without an atmosphere I didn't have to worry about air friction."

"What was it like-living on the moon among the Inhumans?" Jeanne-Marie asked.

"Most of the time-it was like I was an outsider looking in," said Pietro. "Not because I was a mutant, fo course-simply because I wasn't an Inhuman."

"Luna seems rather young to have become distant from you. May I ask why?"

"I'de rather-not-talk about it," Pietro said. "It's-rather personal." The others all nodded didn't press the matter.

After some more minutes, Jean-Paul looked over to the clock. "It's almost 6:00. C'mon Kyle we better get going. Armond and Gilbert have to be wondering where we are."

The two got up, and, holding hands, walked out the door to Jean-Paul's car.

Pietro watch them go. "Those two, how long have they been-"

"Since Jean-Paul and I founded Team Northstar Extreme Snowsports," said Jeanne Marie. "I'd known Kyle for years; I suggested him for event manager of our company so he could keep an eye on Jean Paul and keep him out of trouble. Never once did I imagine the two of them would-" Jeanne-Marie simply rolled her eyes.

"Jeanne-Marie-how are you? And the baby?"

"Tabernac; the women in my pregnancy support group were right: you men all think pregnant women are made of fragile glass. I'm all right, I go to the doctor's regularly, and Hank McCoy came by last week to check me out. Both me and the baby are fine."

"That's good to know. It's just we have some extra things to consider, since we're both mutants."

"True." The two fo them sat down together on the sofa. "Pietro, I'm scared. I mean, what kind of mother will I make? How will I know what to do when this child gets hurt or gets into trouble?"

"Those are all questions I was asking myself, when Crystal announced she was pregnant with Luna." Pietro answered. "And in truth, I wasn't there for much of Luna growing up-because of the marital troubles I kept having with Crystal."

"At least that's not something we have to worry about-considering that we're not married and we both agreed not to take it any further."

"True." Pietro looked up. "I only wish Wanda was here-she was the one person whom I could always count on and trust. Except for that time when she married the Vision; I acted pretty bad to her. I was just convinced that being in love with a machine in the long run would cause her misery and grief."

"I heard about that-and how her marriage to him ended."

"Yes. It turned out I was right-but it brought me no pleasure." Pietro buried his face in his hands. "God, I just miss her so much. She's been missing for so long; and so much has been going on that kept me from looking for her."

"You'll find her. I'm sure you will," said Jeanne-Marie. "I'll try to help if I can, and I'm sure that Jean-Paul will too."

Pietro looked up at Jeanne-Marie. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'd best be going too. There's a major training session at the Avenger's Academy tomorrow, and I have to help prepare for it."

As he walked out the door-at Jeanne-Marie's request Hank Pym had opened a gateway there to the Infinite Avenger's Mansion-Jeanne-Marie closed it and flipped on the TV.

"It's a shame that he couldn't spend the night. He's so good in bed."

Jeanne Marie looked as saw her reflection-and knew it was her other personality talking. The one Jean-Paul called the Slut. "Shut up. Pietro and I both agreed we wouldn't take it any further."

"What are you afraid of? That he'll knock us up?" laughed her reflection. "A little too late for that, I fear?"

"Yeah. And he'd only use it as a chance to move in and mooch off of us." Now Jeanne-Marie turned and saw the face of yet another personality-the Bitch.

"Quiet, both of you," Jeanne-Marie said. "You know Pietro hasn't done anything like that nor once tried to get any money out of us."

"Not yet," answered her darker persona. "But it's only a matter of time. You know about that guy's historyand how he keeps going back and forth to posing as a hero and comitting acts of villiany. The Avengers may be dumb enough to keep forgiving him, but you shouldn't be."

"That first time his mind was being manipulated by an insane telepath," Jeanne-Marie said to her reflection. "And it was a Skrull impersonating him, not Pietro, who nearly triggered that war between the Inhumans and the US."

"So he says. I'll bet that girl of his even knows better; that's why she's not talking to him."

"Who cares about that?" replied the other reflection. "He's such a good lover; next time let's try to convince him into bed!"

"SHUT UP!" Jeanne-Marie cried. "Both of you, get out of my head!"

Sorry for the shortness of this chapter; I'll include more the next.

I do plan to bring in that current search for the Scarlet Witch into this story later on; only in this instance Northstar will be accompanying Quicksilver. No, I'm not turning this into any sort of slash between them; Pietro and Jean-Paul will become friends though.

At this point, Pietro and Jeanne Marie have agreed not to take things any further; but things very seldom work out like that. And next chapter, they find a major irony about their child, since they're both twins.


End file.
